Pendulum Swing!
by wandering on the road of life
Summary: Arc V collection. 2) Sawatari, Shingo has never been a member of You Show Duel School, but he is every bit an Entertainment Duelist as any of the school's students.
1. 1) Same

**SAME**

Writing's not my forte. Constructive criticism appreciated, as are editing suggestions. Yes, the scenes don't match up. This was written on memory and will power alone.

Warnings: AU, genderbend, YuyaxYuzu (Fruitshipping), BL, present tense, language

* * *

 _Yuto realized Yuzo was male, but it's hard to tell when your dimensional counterparts have your face exactly._

Yuto knew right away. He's always had a steady head on his shoulders, so he figures out early on that there are different dimensions and that there are people who look like him from other dimensions. Seeing Ruri's face in a secluded warehouse, angry and ready to fight, only throws him for a second. Seeing Ruri's face on a distinctly _male_ body though...that takes a bit longer to digest.

He's intrigued of course. Hiiragi, Yuzo is definitely male, but there can be no mistake that his face is Ruri's face. Yuto is so used to boobs, that seeing none makes him want to stare.

He resists. Yuto has more class than that, even if Yuzo is a dude and staring is thus not as bad. The duel is tough, but nothing compared to what he's faced in Heartland. Yuto, once the cards are set, ends things quick.

Still, the power of Ruri's face is strong, and there are too many moments during and after the duel that he forgets. Forgets that Ruri is not here; that Yuzo isn't his precious friend. He even forgets, once or twice, that Yuzo is not female, so gentle touches and "I don't want you to hurt anymore" are probably much creepier than he's intended them to be. The embarrassment won't settle in until after Yuzo's bracelet does its pink light show, spiriting him away before he's aware anything has changed.

* * *

Yuto was only the start. After that came Shun, and a whole different can of worms were opened there.

"Ruri!?"

Shun can't believe his eyes. His little sister, out of the clutches of Fusion, alive and free and - _taller?_ His initial relief is lost as he takes in the physical differences. Even without Yuto's punch, he can see them clear as day. Shorter hair. Broader shoulders. A wide flat chest. It's so odd seeing Ruri as a boy that Shun barely reacts when both he and Yuto are sent away.

"I know," says Yuto to him afterwards. "It's weird, isn't it."

Because it's _Ruri's face_ , but it's not _Ruri's body_. Yuto's known Ruri for years, but Shun's known her since birth.

Shun nods silently, freaked out by the miracles of other dimensions, and wishing more than ever that Fusion had never set its slimy foot in Heartland.

* * *

After them, the rest come one after the other. Yuya finally meets Yuto. Sora disappears. Then they meet Yugo. Then Yuto sort of disappears, leaving Yuya a dragon and a headache.

It isn't until the Maiami Championships that things get even stranger.

Serena's arrival brings up new problems no one had anticipated. Yes, Akaba, Reiji is included there because he hadn't realized something like being different genders would stop Hiiragi, Yuzo when he's put his mind to it.

"Y-you - your face is the same as mine!"

Yuzo's eyes are wide in shock, and his legs feel a bit weak. He's heard about it from Yuto - about Ruri, a girl from Heartland with a face just like his. It _is_ weird. A little creepy if he's being honest because Yuzo is comfortable as a guy so seeing himself with boobs is disorienting in the sense of self way.

"You're Ruri, aren't you?" Yuzo steps toward the other girl. "Yu...Yuto told me about you. We have similar faces. You must have escaped Fusion - "

"I'm Serena."

"Huh?"

They talk, and Yuzo realizes he's jumped to conclusions. Serena is a soldier from Fusion and she supports their cause wholeheartedly. Yet she's never been sent to the battlefield.

When Yuzo tells her what he heard from Kurosaki, about the destruction of Heartland and the mocking enjoyment of Obelisk force, she vehemently denies it all.

"But...Kurosaki told us about it. Those Fusion soldiers, they were smiling. It was a _game_ to them."

Serena shakes her head. "Of course not. Fusion's goal is a noble quest. There's no way they'd be so careless about the invasion."

It's frustrating that she won't believe him, but he has no proof. If only she could talk to Kurosaki...

Suddenly Yuzo gets an idea. A crazy idea. Serena...he can tell from their exchange that she knows nothing of how Fusion's Xyz invasion really went. They're so similar that he can't let it go. She is backing a cause without a true picture of the situation. She's helping hurt people for fun and if she knew she'd never forgive herself.

He has to let her know the truth.

"Swap clothes with me."

"Huh?"

* * *

Yuzo actually _isn't_ any taller than his dimensional counterpart. Shun's original assessment was an illusion born from Yuzo's wider frame.

Serena's skirt comes up to the same location on his thighs as on hers, and his only hope is that no one (especially not Dad or Yuya) ever see him like this. Her shirt pinches across his shoulders, bumps up strangely in the front, and the jacket is _just_ too tight. He doesn't have enough hair. It's not perfect, but they don't need perfect. The change in outfit should be just enough to fool everyone for a few seconds, maybe minutes if they're careful.

"Go," urges Yuzo. He smiles. "Make sure you find Kurosaki."

Serena stares at him hard. She's not sure about any of this, but she's willing to listen.

They part ways, and it's the last time she'll see him for a long while.

* * *

"What are those fools doing!? They need to protect Serena!" Nakajima yells at the screen.

"No..." Reiji cuts off his tirade. "That's not Serena. It's Hiiragi, Yuzo."

"HUH!?"

It's subtle, but Yuzo moves all wrong. Awkward and uncertain, none of the angry feline grace of the powerful Fusion soldier. Granted, half the uncertainty could likely be attributed to Yuzo's foray in a skirt.

Reiji watches while mentally shifting his battle plans. Hiiragi, Yuzo. At the very least, he has impressed Reiji by surprising the CEO and by how well he pulls off Serena's uniform.

* * *

Yuzo's first meeting with Yuri is the last one he'd like to have ever. The Fusion soldier is merciless and skilled. He cards Olga, Halil, and even his Obelisk Force comrades on the field without batting an eye.

Yuri, to his credit, manages to hide his surprise well. Dennis has informed him of Yuzo and Serena's little swap. Still, to see is to believe, and this was absolutely a sight to behold.

"You really do resemble Ruri and Rin." Yuri remarked.

To a scary degree. If he didn't already know he was Yuzo, he'd have thought he was looking at Serena.

Yuzo jerks back in shock. _Ruri? Rin?_

A sinking feeling forms in his heart. Yuri, unlike Yuto, is not an ally. He needs to get away.

Yuri gives him a smile. It looks infinitely more sinister than anything he's ever seen from Yuya. "I need to bring you back now. Are you going to come quietly or will I get some entertainment from this?"

Yuzo involuntarily takes a step back.

"Oh." Yuri's smile is nothing but predatory. His arm lifts, duel disk springing to life. "Duel me."

* * *

Yuzo backflips, Action card grasped between his lips. It's a rare show of acrobatics, but nothing too unexpected. He is You Show Duel School's heir after all. He flips until he is a good distance away, and a little more after that.

Yuri watches in amusement, a terrific smirk on his face as if Yuzo's a bug and everything he does is cute in its futility.

He looks like Yuya, but Yuri has none of the other's compassion or spirit. He terrifies Yuzo. He duels relentlessly. There is no mercy in his game, and Yuzo feels it as a pressure threatening to drown him in its wake.

More than ever he wants to see Yuya.

 _Action card, activated!_

Yuzo runs.

* * *

The dude he's accidentally picked up from Standard is totally creeping Yugo out. Dude's face is exactly like Rin's and his personality is kind of similar too.

They've been talking for awhile. It's surprisingly easy to get along with Not-Rin; like talking to Rin, but different. He tells Yuzo about City, about growing up with Rin, and their dream to enter the Friendship Cup. His heart gives a little twinge for her, but Yugo holds it in, reminds himself that Rin's not gone, not if he's still alive to find her.

This invariably leads to them discussing dimension travel. Yugo's dragon has been leading him along thus far, but Yuzo's bracelet has never actually moved Yuzo anywhere. Just the Yuya counterparts.

"Eventually your bracelet is going to work again, yeah? We'll just have to figure out how."

"But that's the thing," Yuzo exclaims. He throws his hands up and paces back and forth. "I have no idea how it works."

"Aw, c'mon!" Yugo scoffs. "You gotta have some idea. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon glows whenever we're about to go. He takes me where I need to go next."

Yuzo glares back at him in frustration.

"It just glows whenever Yuya's close and about to meet one of you!" Standard boy throws his hands up. He's steadily working himself into a stupor.

Yugo watches wordlessly. He has no idea what to say to that because while he was also confused his first time dimension crossing, he at least had a purpose to anchor him: finding Rin.

"I don't know where I'd start trying to figure out how to activate it. I-I'd need Yuya and-and Yuya _isn't here..._ "

Suddenly, all the frantic energy drains out of Yuzo. He crumples down and Yugo stares until he realizes Yuzo's shoulders are shaking because he's made the other boy _cry_.

 _Sniff. Hiccup. Sob._

Awkwaaard. Yugo fidgets then reaches into his pockets until he finds what he's looking for.

"Er...sorry 'bout that, man."

Yuzo sniffles again, ears red with embarrassment, but he takes Yugo's offered handkerchief quietly. Yugo says nothing. Standard boy's eyes are so red (as is his nose) and Yugo tries very hard to push away the slimy feeling he gets whenever he's made Rin cry. This whole situation is seriously too crazy.

* * *

It doesn't hit Yuya until long after, when he finally has a moment to breath and think, that _Serena_ is a mind blowing concept. It happens in his hotel room at the Friendship Cup. He can't leave, and there's no one to talk to, so he finally sits down and thinks for a moment, mind wandering to anything and everything.

Yuya's grown up with Yuzo, close as brothers, comrades in arms. They're best friends. They know each other better than they know themselves. And Serena could basically be summed up as "Yuzo with boobs". To be fair, there are more distinctions between Serena and Yuzo than that, but at a crude level that's exactly how they relate.

Headstrong, tough as nails, opinionated Serena embodies all the core traits that make Yuzo such a precious friend to Yuya. They are passionate, determined, skilled, and clever. They are similar people with similar faces.

So how is Serena a mind blowing concept?

Because it's suddenly dawning on Yuya that he finds Serena attractive for a variety of reasons, not least for her face, and if he finds what is essentially a female Yuzo hot, then he probably finds Yuzo hot too.

Yuya sits in silence, letting it all sink in, and then he finds the word he needs.

"Sh*t."

It is the only description he can think of for this predicament.

Yuya's having a (reality shaking) sexual orientation crisis alongside his self identity crisis from Jack Atlas' beat down. It's not really an appropriate time to be having them, but if he thinks about it, there's never an appropriate time. Yuzo is attractive. _Yuzo is attractive_. Everything's clicking into place faster than he can keep up with, yet he's more confused than ever.

Principal is going to kill him when they get back to Standard.

* * *

Omake:

"You are to capture and return Serena to Fusion."

A hologram pulls up, and Sora gapes in shock.

"No matter how I look, that's too creepy."

It's a girl in one of the Academia uniforms, yet Sora is very sure he's looking at Hiiragi, Yuzo's face. Except the last time he was in Standard, Yuzo had been male and quite happy to be so. Sora had only been gone a few days at most. Was that really enough time for Yuzo to change genders?


	2. 2) Performer

**PERFORMER**

Bet you thought I was done, eh? Summary clearly says "collection" though! YuyaxYuzu pairing stays because fruitshipping will definitely appear more in the future. Extra character tags will change depending on the chapter added.

I don't know what came over me. Sawatari had to be written, so I stayed up quite late working on this. Like last chapter, it ballooned past my first imagining of it. Forgive any inconsistencies. Still haven't rewatched Arc V yet.

Shout out to CrystalCard: thanks for the one review! It's gladly appreciated, and I hope this doesn't disappoint despite the shift in focus.

Warnings: vague dueling, Sawatari's ego

* * *

 _Sawatari, Shingo has never been a member of You Show Duel School, but he is every bit an Entertainment Duelist as any of the school's students._

"Ladies and gentlemen!" The familiar cry rang out, echoing around the packed stadium. Several spotlights had trained themselves on the highest balustrade of the Action Field mansion. "Prepare to feast your eyes on a marvelous sight! The time has come, and the cards have arrived. Are. You. _Ready?_ "

The cheering was thunderous.

" _Pendulum! Pendulum!"_

Sakaki, Yuya, top hat at a jaunty angle on his head, gave a magnificent bow. His right hand came up, two familiar cards clutched in his grasp.

"I set the scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician! With this, I can summon monsters level 2 through 7 simultaneously!" The two cards were promptly slapped on his duel disk, causing it to light up in a gorgeous rainbow. The same hand then shot up, a beckon to what would soon appear. "Come forth, my monsters!"

The stadium roared with amazement and delight as monster after monster appeared on the field. Performapal Fire Mufflerlion. Performapal Partnaga. And as always, Sakaki Yuya's signature monster, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

"Performapal Partnaga is always ready to lend a hand! With his effect, I can increase the attack of Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon by 300 points for every Performapal I control!"

The mentioned Partnaga sprung into action, twisting out and attaching to Odd Eyes. In turn, the dragon glowed and its attack increased from a strong 2500 to an even more powerful 3100.

Yuya glanced around, taking in the smiles on the faces of those in the stadium. Children watched in anticipation. Adults held their breath. The performer gave a smile of his own and then leapt off the balustrade, to the shock of the audience.

"Now attack, my dragon!"

Yuya dropped casually, one hand holding his top hat the other held out as if he were gliding. His coat mantle flapped in the wind.

Odd Eyes gave a ground shaking roar and _moved_. The dragon made a quick turn and caught Yuya neatly on its back. It continued sprinting, taking a wide curve towards the moonlit lake on the other end of the field.

* * *

"Cheh. Always trying to steal my spotlight." Scoffed a figure standing atop the lake.

Sawatari, Shingo, his white suit a stark contrast to the shadowy waters around him, gave a smirk, which widened into an excited smile.

" _As if I'd let you, Sakaki, Yuya!_ "

He sprang into action as well, leaping off the boulder he'd been perched on and into the arms of Underworld Troupe Sassy Rookie. The duel monster jumped back ashore via the rocks and sprinted off into the surrounding woods.

Action card. He needed an Action card.

Adrenaline pumped through Sawatari's veins. This was excitement. This was Entertainment dueling. This was his life.

" _Don't disappoint me, Sawatari!_ " Yuya called from atop Odd Eyes.

"As if I would!"

* * *

So when did it begin?

He's not sure of the answer himself.

Where does it end?

He wasn't going to find that out anytime soon.

What was this about?

Entertainment duels.

Sawatari, Shingo was young, handsome, and he had his whole life ahead of him to do what he wanted. Sawatari, Shingo was only twenty years old, and he already knew what he wanted.

* * *

He can't tell you when it began, but he can sort of pinpoint how it evolved.

Shingo was born with everything. Ask and that was the answer you would receive. His father was an influential politician. He had money and power. He'd been born with both the looks and the brains.

It wasn't until the time Akaba, Reiji asked him to steal Sakaki's pendulum cards he gained an inkling that he'd been missing something.

Up to then, Shingo had really been just drifting.

Sure, he was enrolled at the prestigious Leo Duel School. Sure, he was top of his class. And sure, he had rare cards at the drop of a hat. But he didn't feel interested in anything.

It was the sort of thing he hadn't noticed until he'd been introduced to what he lacked.

That first duel with Sakaki, it was merely a spark. Sakaki himself was an annoying chap, but there was something in the way he'd smiled through his worry and put forth a performance for Hiiragi and the kids.

It had dug under his skin, wiggled itself into a part of him and refused to leave him alone. Shingo had chalked it up to his defeat at Sakaki's hands. Sakaki was a punk with a few fancy cards and stupid smile on his face. Shingo hadn't tasted it yet, so he hadn't recognized it.

* * *

" _Spiral Flame Strike!"_

Sawatari cursed as the luminous red attack hit Sassy Rookie. The duel monster disappeared in a burst of light and smoke, and its rider performed a smooth somersault onto the grass.

The damage to his life points was extreme. A whopping 1400 points of damage at once. It brought Sawatari from a manageable 1700 life points down to a worrisome 300 points.

Yuya wasn't allowing him time to breathe either.

"As Odd Eyes attack was successful, I can now activate Performapal Fire Mufflerlion's effect!" Yuya threw his arms up. From Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon's back, he cut a striking figure against the virtual night sky. "Having destroyed Sassy Rookie, I may now increase Odd Eye's attack by another 200 and attack again!"

Odd Eye's attack point counter swung and revealed its new 3300 point offensive force.

Sawatari could feel the sweat beading on his temples as he sprinted through the trees.

 _Action card! Where are you?_

* * *

The second duel with Sakaki during the prelims of the Maiami Championship was what gave Shingo the taste of the thrill.

 _Every second_ of that duel was exhilaration.

His pendulum summons, Sakaki's counters, their struggle over Action cards.

He felt alive, electrified, like he was breathing fresh air for the first time and _boy_ was it different. There was something about putting on a performance, about putting a smile on the faces of those watching. Every move was a puzzle. _What card to play? Where's another Action card? Is this entertaining?_

No one was left without a smile, Shingo included. Even after the duel, he remembered and it made him _yearn_.

Entertaining resonated with Shingo in a way nothing else ever had.

It was a buzz he couldn't get enough of. Entertainment duels were so much more interesting than the average duels he'd been playing most of his life. That mindset settled into him, sank into his bones until it penetrated his soul. Slowly, Shingo stopped seeing himself as _duelist_ and started seeing himself as an _entertainer_. He wanted to duel. He wanted to _perform_.

Playing Sakaki was merely the icing on an already delicious cake because Sakaki was an Entertainer as well. They could play off each other, build up the excitement, get the crowd worked up, and the fun was so much _greater_.

Now here he was, at twenty freaking years, arguably one of the most famous Entertainment Duelists this century, and he owed at least a bit of that to Sakaki Yuya's influence on his life.

* * *

Dust kicked up as Spiral Flame Strike struck for the second time that evening. Sawatari had run far in his search for an Action card. He'd just cleared the forest and had been standing in the open courtyard of the Action Field mansion when the glowing red energy strike hit home.

As Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon slowed to a stand still, the crowd held its breath.

Had Yuya pulled off another spectacular victory? Or had Sawatari managed a last minute miracle?

As the thick dust clouds thinned, a tall silhouette could be made out.

 _Action magic, activated!_

"I activate the Action magic: Evasion! Odd Eye's attack has been negated!"

If Yuya's summoning had shook the field, the cheering for Sawatari's pull through shook the whole stadium.

Sawatari smirked up at Yuya from his place on the courtyard. The dork had such an enormous smile on his face that Sawatari could _feel_ the joy infecting him as well. As Yuya slipped off the back of his dragon, Sawatari brushed off his white suit.

"You certainly didn't disappoint," said Yuya, grin still stretched across his face. "I end my turn."

Sawatari gave a booming chuckle at that.

 _Show time!_

With a flourish he announced, " _Watch out_ , Sakaki, Yuya! It's time for my counterattack!"

 _"Sawatari! Sawatari!"_

He wondered how things would have been if he'd never found Entertainment Dueling, but the concept was so unfathomable that he gave up soon after.

He lived this life. Breathed it. Loved it.

"Draw!"

Sawatari, Shingo was a performer, simple as that.


End file.
